


The Second Prince of Sina

by against_my_nature



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Guard! Jean, I will specify the violence in those chapters in the notes, Kind of Medieval AU, Multi, Prince! Armin, Slow Build, Twins! Armin and Krista, Violence in Later Chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-02-23 21:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2556563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/against_my_nature/pseuds/against_my_nature
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You spend hours and days and weeks holed up in that library reading about a world that is right outside the castle, in your kingdom, waiting to be explored. You pine and plead for it, yet it’s right there for the taking.” He didn't care that in that moment that he was technically yelling at a prince, who could in that instant feel the need to either execute Jean for disrespect or hang him by his toes for his own amusement. In that moment, it wasn't Your Highness, or the Second Prince of Sina, or even the third child of the King. It was just Armin, who was currently looking at Jean with a slight smirk, eyebrows lifted at the center.</p><p>“Jean.” He said in a tone that suggested Jean had said the most ridiculous thing in the world, his head shaking. “It’s not my kingdom, it’s my father’s.”</p><p>(AU where Armin is a prince and Jean is his assigned bodyguard, just about done with his Armin’s princely bullshit)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A few notes to make the intro to this AU less confusing:
> 
> There are no "titans", but rather are a large group of violent people with a tendency for cannibalism that are at war with the Kingdom of Sina. Sina is the name of the whole Kingdom as well as the capital where the castle is located. Both Maria and Rose are the other other two major cities located in Sina.
> 
> The Military Police is called the Royal Guard and the insignia is the same. Stationary Troops are known as the General Army and the insignia features roses, however, the number and color varies depending on which location in the Kingdom you are stationed at. The Scouting Legion has the same name and insignia.
> 
> The salute in SNK is the same here, however when addressing Royalty, you must also kneel and bow your head.
> 
> Here are the ages of the characters in this story.  
> Armin, Jean, Eren, Mikasa, Connie, Sasha, Krista, and Ymir - 19  
> Annie - 20  
> Reiner - 21  
> Bertholdt - 22  
> Erwin, Levi, and Hanji - early 40's (I know, that's old)
> 
> I also might spell the character's name differently; there's so many different versions but I do what I want.
> 
> If you have any questions after reading, don't be afraid to comment. Criticism is encouraged. :D

There was the usual bustle of activity that took place in the main courtyard as a young woman made her way across it, heading towards the soldiers’ training grounds in the southeastern edge of the castle. The air was starting to become chillier, finally giving way to the incoming winter season, making people move quickly to their destinations while those who strayed longer huddled closely in groups for warmth. The citizens of Sina were known for their hardy disposition, and although the cold did affect them, it did nothing to deter them from their usual daily activities.  
  
Despite her short stature and blank (practically bordering on bored) face, her presence was easily caught by all in the courtyard as her green cape floated with the wind around her body, the Royal Guard insignia brandished across the entire back. Those in her direct path swiftly moved away, an action that may seem to an outsider originating from fear of the woman but rather stemmed from respect and admiration when they recognized the notable figure.  
  
In the Kingdom of Sina, her story was known by most, witnessed by few, but forgotten by none. Her birth name, now in disuse, was Annie, better known as the First Princess of Sina. Having suddenly disappeared from home at the age of 13, Annie had stirred such a panic across the Kingdom, that a mass search was ordered and kept alive for almost a year. The people of Sina had mourned the tragic loss, attending memorials that were held on the anniversaries of her disappearance until 4 years had passed when she returned once again under the alias Leonhardt.  
  
Instead of a heartbreaking reunion with her royal family, the princess had challenged the strongest of the Royal Guard in hand-to-hand combat, refusing to meet with any of her family members until her challenge was completed.  
  
The fight was surprisingly short and Leonhardt, having just succeeded, then stood before King Erwin, her own father, with God and the crowd that watched on anxiously as their witnesses. Her hand, stained with both the blood of the soldiers she defeated and her own, formed into a fist and was held over her heart.  
  
“I am strong enough to defeat my enemies.” Her voice was loud, cutting through the sharp silence as everyone held their breath, unsure of how to react. “I wish to serve under your rule to protect you.” There was a slight tremor over ‘protect’, as if she were to cry in that moment, but she held her gaze firm towards the King, back straight and chin held high.  
  
The sight was impressive; a girl, seemingly small and weak, covered in blood and injuries standing before His Majesty with the strongest men in Sina, some having been twice her size, behind her, unconscious on the ground. There were many ways the King could have reacted. Yet no one had expected him to stand from his seat and walk slowly towards the girl, his steps unrushed and steady, only to embrace her without warning. His sobs were heard by the crowd as he held the baffled princess in his arms, unwilling to let go, unwilling to control his emotions in front of the public.  
  
Only a few moments had passed when there was a clap heard from someone among the crowd, which later grew in numbers, until the entire Royal Arena roared with clapping and cheering, chants of “Long Live Leonhardt” resonating the loudest. Leonhardt hoped that the crowd was too overtaken by their emotion in their cheering to see tears fall from her eyes as she held her father for the first time in years.  
  
Now at the age of 20, Annie was known by all as Leonhardt, a war hero that has triumphed numerous times against advances of the Titans of the North. Her past as royalty was still not lost on those that interacted with her; however, as her worn-out boots unabashedly made contact with dirt as she made her way towards the training grounds, catching the eyes of nearby soldiers, her title of princess becomes easily forgotten when they quickly salute her with a fist over their heart and a clear, “Lieutenant.”  
  
Without pausing, she responds with an “At Ease,” and continues forward towards a small building set behind the training grounds atop a hill, as if to watch over the soldiers sharpening their skills on the grounds below.  
  
Another group of soldiers, having just exited the building, saluted Leonhardt before she entered, and she took a moment to salute back, earning their beaming looks from the rare respect. The Lieutenant seldom paid attention to others unless necessary; and yet there were moments like this when she remembered what she had gone through to be able to stand in front of these soldiers as Lieutenant Leonhardt. It truly made her feel proud.  
  
And so she had saluted the group of soldiers without warning, earning herself a look from Mikasa Ackerman, a fellow soldier who had seen the entire exchange from inside.  
  
“Lieutenant,” Mikasa said with one eyebrow still raised.  
  
“Ackerman,” Leonhardt responded, ignoring the look. She approached Mikasa, seated with papers laid out in front of her. “Where’s your brother?” At that, surprise replaced the look from before, and she gathered her papers together, placing all of her attention on Leonhardt.  
  
“He’s in with the Commander right now. I’m waiting for him to finish actually.” Mikasa began to stand, sighing. “Did he get into some sort of trouble?”  
  
“I’m here to retrieve him for the King,” Leonhardt said, gesturing for Mikasa to follow her. She entered a hallway to their right, windows lining on one side and a series of doors on the other. Having frozen in disbelief for a moment, Mikasa quickly placed her documents under her arm and caught up with the Lieutenant, who had kept walking at a brisk pace her short legs were somehow capable of.  
  
“The King? What need does His Highness have for Eren?” Sunlight passed over Mikasa’s worried features, looking straight towards the door at the end of the hallway that led to the Commander’s office.  
  
“I’m not at liberty to say. You can discuss it with Eren afterwards. It’s not anything you should be too worried about, Mikasa.” They had come to a stop in front of the door and Mikasa placed a hand on Leonhardt’s arm before she could grab purchase on the handle.  
  
“Are you sure we should interrupt?” she whispered sternly. Mikasa had been known to care too much (especially when it came to her brother), but as Leonhardt blankly stared back at her, pushing the door open anyways, Mikasa remembered that the Lieutenant had been known to care too little. She gave another sigh and followed her inside.  
  
It was obvious that they had interrupted a discussion taking place, as Eren and Commander Pixis looked up in surprise. Upon seeing Leonhardt though, the Commander merely smirked, eyes squinting in humor.  
  
“What brings the infamous Warrior Princess to my office?” Pixis leaned back in his chair just as Eren stood up, his eyes moving from Leonhardt to Mikasa.  
  
“Mikasa? What’s going o-” Eren began, but was interrupted yet again by Leonhardt.  
  
“Commander. The King requests an immediate audience with two of your soldiers: Eren Jaeger and Jean Kirschtein.” She went straight to the point, ignoring the nickname the Commander had given her. Eren stared at Leonhardt in shock while Pixis simply chuckled. “Caught up in another one of your father’s whims, I take it?”  
  
“Actually, I agree with him this time. It’s a good idea.” Eren turned towards Mikasa hoping she could offer up an explanation, but she merely shook her head and shrugged.  
  
“Oh really?” The Commander said with amusement. “Is this coming from the same woman that threatened a one-man mutiny against her own father at the mere mention of a dress?”  
  
“No. This is coming from the same woman that had once strung your drunken ass up on the Bell Tower and will not hesitate to do so again.” Leonhardt shot back making Pixis laugh harder, deepening his squint. Eren watched the exchange incredulously before closing his eyes and pinching his nose, mumbling, “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”  
  
Instead of answering him, Pixis pulled out a strip of paper and began scrawling a quick note on it. “Eren Jaeger, you have my permission as Commander to step away from your current duties to accompany Lieutenant Leonhardt.” He finished writing, setting down his quill and handing the piece of paper to her. “Show this to Jean to let him know he has my permission as well.”  
  
Leonhardt gave a brief nod to the Commander and glanced at Eren who stared back, frustration thick on his features, before heading out. He began to follow her out of the office, Mikasa trailing alongside him. “If Kirschtein’s involved as well, then we’re either getting promoted for our immense bravery, or demoted for the exact same thing, only worded differently. What was the phrase the captain had used last time Mikasa?”  
  
“I believe he called it, ‘half-crazed, suicidal tendencies’.” She deadpanned.  
  
“It’s neither actually. The King will discuss the details of it with you and Jean.” Leonhardt paused, looking back at Mikasa. “Just you and Jean.” Mikasa narrowed her eyes and frowned at the Lieutenant until Eren pulled her aside.  
  
“Don’t worry Mikasa. I’ll find you right afterwards, alright? I’ll say hello to Armin for you.” He smiled and drew her closer in for a quick hug. “I’ll try to make it to supper, but don’t skip eating if I don’t just to go find me.” He pulled away and fixed the red scarf around her neck before moving towards Leonhardt, who knew the siblings long enough to not find the close relationship between the two a bit strange.  
  
They had both exited the building when Eren spoke, “We should go check the stables first for Kirschtein. He’s usually always there.”  
  
“Was that supposed to be another one of your painfully crude horse jokes about him?” Leonhardt said, her tone bored and unimpressed, but Eren could see the slight smile she made.  
  
 _She’s not as stoic as everyone thinks she is._ Eren thought, glancing at the short Lieutenant slightly ahead of him, heading towards the stables at the far left side of the training grounds despite her comment just now. _Maybe in the past, but she seems to be opening up whether she knows it or not._  
  
Eren snorted. “I wish, but unfortunately no. He does usually spend the majority of his time at the stables and the track. Even when he’s training with swords, he’ll set up near the horses and practice there, just like when he used to train with Marco…” He suddenly got quiet, frowning slightly.  
  
Leonhardt stayed silent, as she wasn’t one for much conversation especially when it delve into the affairs of others, not bothering to ask the obvious question that hung between the two of them.  
  
 _Who’s Marco?_  
  
Eren seemed to be deep inside his own thoughts, eyebrows furrowing as he stared ahead at nothing in particular, until a large wooden structure came into view.  
  
There was a noticeable commotion near the stables as a group of soldiers shouted and pointed towards the track, an open field of grass with a roughly ovalish dirt path around its expanse.  
  
As Leonhardt and Eren approached them, they could make out what the soldiers were shouting about.  
  
“I’d be afraid of Ymir if I were him. That girl always has some nasty trick up her sleeve.”  
  
“Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen Kirschtein on a horse? That boy is something else, I tell you.”  
  
“He is, he really is. And he may be fast on a horse, but have you ever fought one on one with him? I don’t even have a chance to blink before he has me pinned down to the ground.”  
  
“Ymir’s a brute when she fights though; she can probably snap him in half.”  
  
“Maybe, if she can catch him. Besides, this is horseback riding, not hand-to-hand combat.”  
  
Upon hearing Jean’s name, Leonhardt turned her attention towards what they were pointing at and saw two horses sprinting at full speed on the track, lifting clouds of dirt behind him. They had just made a turn and were now heading towards them. As they got closer, Leonhardt could vaguely make out the two figures riding the horses; one was taller and darker than the other, shouting something as they fell behind slightly.  
  
Eren sighed next to her, shaking his head. “I think they’re just about to finish.” She turned towards him as he spoke. “I’ve see Jean race enough times to know. Just watch.”  
  
Leonhardt looked back towards the race as the cheers from the soldiers increased in volume, the vast majority cheering for Jean drowning out the others yelling Ymir’s name. The rider that was ahead lifted up slightly from the saddle and leaned forward, keeping his knees close to his body with the heightened stirrup Leonhardt had just noticed. The horse began to speed up as the rider left behind yelled, “Cheater!” Laughter was heard from the rider who shot forward with a burst of speed, unable to keep from carelessly throwing their head back. With the abrupt motion, Leonhardt could recognize the rider as Jean, the rushing wind tousling his sandy hair as he passed the cheering group of soldiers.  
  
He pulled sharply against the reins, stopping near Leonhardt and Eren, who took the opportunity to shout something at Jean.  
  
“It’s a miracle Ulysses can run so fast and still carry another horse on his back.” Jean perched high on his dark horse, looked down at Eren and chuckled, his mood unaffected by the comment.  
  
“Was that supposed to offend me Jaeger?” Jean swiftly dismounted, patting the side of Ulysses gently. “At least the horses don’t try to cave my head in every time I get within 10 feet of them.” Jean turned to look straight at Eren, smirking teasingly.  
  
“Was that supposed to offend me?” Eren repeated in a mocking tone, making Jean roll his eyes as he turned back towards his horse, pulling out an apple from the bag slung around his waist.  
  
“How did you know his name was Ulysses?” Jean asked as his horse began to munch on the apple happily, his tail swishing gently behind him.  
  
Eren shrugged as he moved to stand next to him, watching the horse eat. “He’s your favorite. And he’s the only horse that lets me get close enough to him.” As if confirming Eren’s words, Ulysses moved his head closer to him, bumping him slightly.  
  
“Maybe it’s due to the fact you and Jean look similar to each other.” Leonhardt, having watched the exchange quietly, now interjected, and started to approach Jean with the slip of paper in hand as he turned to face her. “The King would like to have a word with both you and Eren.” Jean did not appear as shocked by the news as Eren had been, but his eyebrow quirked at the mention of the King. Taking the paper and reading its contents, he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a loud voice.  
  
“Jean! Get your ass over here, you conniving bastard!” Ymir’s tall frame was advancing towards Jean, clearly angered by the outcome of the race. Her horse was being attended to by one of the soldiers, the rest having followed Ymir to watch the potential fight that was about to break out between her and Jean.  
  
She looked livid, that is, until her eyes fell on Leonhardt and suddenly she was grinning, changing her direction from Jean to the Lieutenant.  
  
“I didn’t know my cute princess was here. How ya been, Annie?” Ymir sauntered over to her and attempted to place an arm around her shoulders. Leonhardt, having been accustomed to Ymir’s uncensored flirting ever since she met her, simply dodged the arm. “That’s Lieutenant to you.”  
  
“Jesus Ymir,” Jean muttered, “I know homosexuality is encouraged in the army but you’re blinding everyone with that flaming rainbow shooting out of your ass.”  
  
“You’d think she’d calm down after the first 4 restraining orders.” Eren whispered towards Jean, shaking his head.  
  
“Sorry Jean, but I've got a thing for short blondes.” Ymir said, reaching for Leonhardt’s bangs as she dodged yet again. The Lieutenant was starting to become impatient, her usual frown deepening.  
  
“Jean. Eren. I’ll accompany you to the King if you’re ready.” She stated.  
  
“Aww, come on babe! You didn't even give me a chance to ask you to the Winter Ball! Getting to see my sweet little princess in a dre-“ There was a sudden motion, and Leonhardt had Ymir pinned to the ground, holding her arms around her back with her knee pushing her down.  
  
The group of soldiers who were loosely gathered nearby began to whoop, cheering for the Lieutenant as she pressed her knee harder against Ymir’s back. “Your sweet little what?”  
  
Ymir struggled against the small woman as she laughed. “You like to dominate, don’t you? Kinky as fuck. I like it.” Leonhardt responded by grabbing one of Ymir’s arms and twisting it harshly, making her groan in pain. “Yea, you know I like it hard.”  
  
Jean snickered and started to head towards the stables with Ulysses, unable to hear any more of Ymir’s inappropriate comments. By the time he had come back, the crowd of soldiers was gone and Leonhardt was standing near Eren, looking utterly bored as Ymir laid face down on the ground, moaning in pain.  
  
“The King’s waiting,” Leonhardt called over her shoulder as she began her way towards the castle. Jean and Eren simultaneously glanced at Ymir and shared a look between one another, silently agreeing to never get on the Lieutenant‘s bad side.  
  
The royal castle was impressive from the outside, and if you were to ask anyone that has step within its soaring stone walls, they would describe to you an equally impressive interior. Both Jean and Eren had already explored the section of the castle open to the public, marveling at the grand stonework that covered the walls when they had first laid eyes on it. But as Leonhardt led them deeper still, where the groups of people had dwindled to only a few stray maids and workers, and a guard standing watch at every few feet, Jean couldn’t help but give out a low whistle.  
  
The hallways stretched endlessly, floors smooth and gleaming, reflecting as if it were the surface of water. The ceiling hung high above their heads, ornate with paintings and golden chandeliers that held various sized candles, not yet lit due to the ample amount of light coming from the windows that stretched along on both sides of them. Leonhardt continued to lead them through deeper still, and although the passages became smaller, practically devoid of any other persons besides the three of them, Jean and Eren were still awestruck by the regality of it all.  
  
It was a while before Leonhardt paused in front of large, double doors, intricate engravings carved into the woodwork, with two guards blocking the door. She had no need to speak to the guards who moved to open the doors for her when she came to a stop in front of them. There was no hesitancy when she stepped inside, leading Jean and Eren to stand in the center of the room on either side of her, the door shutting behind them as all three of them kneeled and held their right fist over their heart, bowing their heads to the King of Sina.  
  
The King sat alone on a large throne that was placed on a raised platform, with white marble stairs leading up to him. Donned in an elegant dark waistcoat and white trousers, he could have easily blended in with the upper-class civilians. The dark purple sash that wrapped around his large, strong frame from the top of his left shoulder down to his right hip and the crown that sat atop his blond head were the only indicators that he was in fact royalty. He had stood when Leonhardt stepped inside and began making his way down the steps as they had bowed.  
  
“Annie, you know you don’t ha-“  
  
“Your Majesty.” Leonhardt interrupted, standing straight with her hands held behind her back. “I have brought Eren Jaeger and Jean Kirschtein as you had asked.” King Erwin’s mouth formed into a thin line as he stared at her, moving closer to rest a hand on her shoulder.  
  
“Thank you, Annie…” Leonhardt’s features soften in a way neither Jean nor Eren had seen before at her father’s touch, but was quickly replaced with a serious expression when the King turned towards the both of them.  
  
“Good afternoon soldiers. You must be curious to why you are here.” The King made his way back to his throne and sat down gently, offering a smile to both Jean and Eren standing before him. “I have a job proposition.”


	2. Convergence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TRIGGER WARNING**  
> There is a section of graphic violence in this chapter. If you wish to read the chapter, but skip the violence, read past the section of italicized writing. There will also be a line at the start and the end of this section to help you avoid it.
> 
> I apologize to anyone this may cause discomfort to.

They were quick; not a full hour had passed by the time I was standing in my new room, fully furnished and cleaned, holding a bag with the clothes and other items I had packed after seeing King Erwin. It all happened too quickly if you asked me; the King had probably been planning for this arrangement to occur for quite awhile.

 _Personal Bodyguard for the Prince. What the hell is that?_ I couldn’t help but think when I was shoving my things in my bag earlier. _Isn’t the entire Royal Guard like a mass of bodyguards for the royal family?_

There were two princes: Reiner the first son and Armin the second. The Lieutenant had apparently been assigned to Reiner while I was assigned to Armin. Eren was assigned to the second princess and Armin’s twin, Historia. Although it was a high honor to be trusted to work so closely with the royal family, I couldn’t help but feel unsure about it.

See, if you were to look at certain past records of mine (I’m not saying which), you might find a few colorful and actually quite ingenious (I will not lie) umm... “descriptors”  about me, all detailing my “competitive” and “anti-social” behavior, constantly challenging authority with little care to ranking, a “show-off”, or as Captain Levi would say, “a dick-headed brat who has what I can only suspect to be masochistic personality disorder and absolutely no wish for self-preservation, I swear to the Lord, I am just repeating myself with this idiot and Jaeger, the fuckhead, constantly fighting with others. The both of them make me want to shove-“ okay, you don’t need to know about that.

I was once like the Captain, looking down on Eren when he acted out, and I also had once coveted working inside the castle.

Once, when all I did was focus on myself.

Let’s just say that there came a point when I realized it wasn’t just me in the world, my life wasn’t the only life to live for. Everything had made sense then until there was a point in my life afterwards where it felt like there just wasn’t even a world to live in at all. But that was years ago.

And now? I’m like Jaeger, acting rashly, sometimes filled with anger, sometimes filled with nothing at all. I do things on a whim, rather than on need, and I really couldn’t care less about what the Captain has to say about me. I should have been driven out of Sina years ago.

Yet here I am, quite forgetting exactly what had been worrying me as I stared at the room before me.

“Long live the King,” I mumbled under my breath, craning my head upwards to try and guess how far up the ceiling went. Its surface was one large painting, similar to the hallways in the inner castle. I could recognize some of the symbols present in the painting as the emblems of the 3 main military divisions.

 _Quite impressive_. It takes me a couple of hours to perfectly execute a drawing, what kind of demon do you have to conjure up in order to paint a continuous masterpiece throughout the castle? Better yet, what kind of Lord did the artist pray to that gave them the strength not to brutally murder the smart-ass that told them to paint the entire ceiling in the first place? Don’t know about you but it’s not any god I worship.

You know, the one that can hear my repeated thank you’s pointedly being shot at their heavenly face as I move my eyes from the ceiling towards the colossal furniture that is my bed. It encompassed more than several pillows, some perhaps larger than my own body and when I pressed a hand on one of them, I had to refrain from moaning in happiness.

Lord, I am not worthy of this divine glory.

Of course, I may have been overreacting over the contents of my room, but I surely was not overreacting when one of the maids taking into account the final arrangements of the room pulled open a large curtain that hung from one of the walls, revealing a large window twice my height. In that moment, I dropped my bag and moved closer, taking in the breath-taking view.

The sun was just starting to set along the horizon, tinting the sky in various shade of red and purple. There was a lake, perhaps unimpressive under normal circumstances, but at this moment, the light that glistened across its surface elicited a sort of glow from the reflective water. It was all quite angelic, and I could view it all from this window, perched high above in the castle.

“Does it all suit to your liking?” The same maid that brought this magnificent view to my knowing spoke up from behind me, while the other continued scrutinizing every single corner of the room with a feather duster in hand.

I could only offer to her a dumbfounded expression, nodding my head as I signaled with my arms towards the lakeside view I had just witnessed. She merely chuckled and shook her head, picking up the bag I had previously abandoned and placing it on the bed, sorting through its contents.

“Are there any questions you might like to ask?” She didn’t look up from her work as she folded my clothes and stacked them in a neat pile. I took in my surroundings once again, tempted to say something along the lines of “Have I died and gone to heaven?”, until my eyes caught sight of a second door in the room, right behind the maid.

“Where does that door lead to?” I began to move towards it, but the maid blocked my path.

“On the other side of that wall is the Prince’s room. You are only allowed to enter through that door in case of emergencies or if the Prince himself asks you to.” Oh. She turned back to my clothes, picking up the pile and placing them away inside a chest at the end of the bed. “The door’s there for security purposes. Easy access to the Prince in case of a castle raid.”

“Easy for me or for the enemy?” I didn’t feel comfortable about the fact that there was just another entry way to reach the prince, but the maid didn’t even bat an eyelash to my comment.

“We will shortly hang two large paintings in front of this door and the prince’s to keep the presence of a backdoor confidential. Only a few will be aware of this so there is no need to worry.” She stood up from the chest as I made my way past back towards the window.

“What about this? Glass can be broken easily and I‘m assuming the Prince would also have a window of this size or bigger in his accommodations.” There was no answer given and I began tapping against the window as if it would notify me the exact strength of the glass. “Toss a large rock against it, and crack, you’ve got yourself another entryway.” The voice I heard immediately after was not the maid’s but a deeper and softer one.

“The glass has actually been reinforced and can withstand up to hundreds of pounds of force. My grandfather was the one to design it.” I whipped around in surprise to find a boy staring back at me, the maids having apparently already left. Once I saw the blonde hair, cut to the shoulders, and the golden circlet around it, I instantly kneeled with my fist against my heart.

“Your Highness.” I made sure to bow my head respectfully, staring at the ground before me.

“Armin.” I looked up at that to see the Prince’s sharp blue eyes staring back at me as my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“I’m sorry, but-“

“Please stand, Jean Kirschtein. As I am already aware of your name, I would like to tell you that my name in Armin.” I could only stare back as I stood up slowly, understanding what he wanted. I hesitated however, and the Prince was quick on catching on as well.

“You may call me Prince Armin, if it so pleases you.” His gaze held steady, piercing in such a way that it felt as if he was calculating my next move, my next words, the exact thoughts that were going through my mind.

“Yes Prince… Armin.” I have been well known to hold little regard for status unless absolutely necessary. Be it a soldier of the same rank or the commander, they all hold the same respect in my mind, which is right on the same level as a dried tomato. The only exception is the Lieutenant. She may have been the first princess of Sina (as if that had meant anything to me), but after witnessing her battle multiple men twice her size and triumph, no one really considers her as anything short of a goddess. So it surprised me when I struggled to speak to the Prince informally, even after having asked me to.

It should have been easy for me to see the boy in front of me as just that: a boy. He stood only a few inches shorter than me and was slender, seeming lacking the physical strength that Leonhardt held. His face seemed serious, having matured since the last time I’ve seen him, thinner and more defined, and a bit unimpressive.

However, the way he stood held such confidence and power that made me question my first assumption of his physical capabilities. But what really caught my attention was his eyes, the bright blue that his father also had, yet larger and more compelling, burning with a brightness I have never seen in someone before.

The fact of the matter was I could not simply see him as a boy. The sublimity of his presence was too overpowering to be considered ordinary, as if he were something more… like a…

Like a prince.

Wow Jean, took you awhile. It’s as if the crown wasn’t enough.

The Prince smiled and opened the door that led back out to the hallway, beckoning me to follow him.

“You probably know very little of the castle layout. I’ll lead you to the dining area for the castle workers. It’s not far from here and you are free to dine either there or at your previous dining location, however, that might now be a farther trek due to the change in your accommodations.” He kept a relaxed pace and nodded ever so often at the guards and maids that passed by. I simply looked straight ahead until we turned to walk down a narrow hallway, an archway at the end of it. There were a number of people inside, carrying plates of food and speaking with others amicably, some sitting down at large tables.

“Sasha has just returned from a hunting trip and is cooking tonight. I suggest you at least try eating here in the inner castle for just today.” The prince paused a ways from the archway, turning to look at me. “Trust me, you will not be disappointed.”

“Jean!” We both turned our heads at the sound of my name towards the open archway to find a short boy with hair cropped close to his head, that same ridiculous smile he always had on plastered on his face.

God, how long has it been since I’ve seen Connie?

His grin then quickly faded when he saw Prince Armin standing right next to me, his eyes widening in shock, making the prince laugh in response. The reaction had surprised the both of us, earning a mouth gape from me and a blush from Connie, causing him to laugh harder.

It seems we weren’t the only ones to be surprised by the outburst as the prince struggled to contain his enjoyment, laughing behind his hand and attempting to apologize.

“I- Haha!-I’m sorry! He’s just such an open book! HAHA!! Your reactions were priceless! Your face-,” He continued laughing, pointing at me. I shot a confused look towards Connie and he shrugged, still looking rather flustered.

Once the prince had calmed down he started waving me off, the laughter still showing through his eyes.

“Meet me in the Eastern Library tomorrow, as early as you wish, and we will go over my schedule then.” He paused for my reply.

“Of course, Your-,” He shot me a stern look and I froze, remembering his previous request. “-Armin.” His eyebrows lifted slightly, and then he nodded his head as if to approve.

“Thank you.” He said softly, before turning and walking away. I didn’t move until I suddenly felt a hand grab my arm and pull me away.

“What was THAT all about?!” Connie was staring at me in shock, taking a few looks over my shoulder to assure that the Prince wasn’t there anymore. “What are you even doing here in the castle with the prince?”

“Weeelll…” A man holding a plate with a rather impressively large turkey leg passed by and my eyes caught possessively on the food, my mouth watering slightly. There was a chuckle near me and I was pulled farther into the room where my meaty love awaited.

It might have taken awhile for me to stuff as much as I could on my plate, possibly more that Connie’s, which already overflowed with a variety of foods; loaves of bread, mashed potatoes topped with some sort of graving, long slices of turkey, steamed potatoes, how many potatoes can the castle possible have? And after taking our share and having been seated, it still was awhile until I began to answer Connie’s previous question, trying to shove as much as I could in my mouth. Connie patiently eyed me, taking more manageable bites of his own, as he watched me eat, clearly amused.

“I’m his bodyguard now.” He just stared at me as I took larger bites, choking during my valiant attempts at chewing.

“You?” He pointed at me with his fork and I nodded, my mouth too filled to relay any sound besides the various moans of delicious pleasure, god, the prince was right; this turkey tasted like hopes and dreams.

Connie shook his head and mumbled something that sounded like, “-can’t believe it…”

“Well, what about you?” I had finally swallowed to speak and he looked up questioning. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean? You know I report to Levi almost every month.” Connie worked in the Scouting Legion as a spy, handling the most dangerous missions into enemy territory to gain any information they can on the Titan faction. And he was a damn good one, having to return to the castle once a month, being the only informer whom Levi directly speaks to.

“Yes, and that was 3 months ago. I was getting worried…” Connie’s face soften and he sighed, reaching over to shove me a little.

“You think I, the infamous Shadow of Sina, would get caught by those dumb Titans?” At this, he stood up abruptly, jumping up on our table to shout out, “Those beasts should fear me! I have the all-powerful Kingdom of Sina with mighty Maria and ruthless Rose by my side to kick Titan ass!” There was a sudden cheer from all around the room and Connie held a loaf of bread as a sword above his head, at this point screaming, “Die, Titans, Die!” The crowd chanted with him, and I could not help but laugh and join him in his antics until it was time to return to our accommodations, wishing him good luck and good night.

I was glad to see him again, but there really was no need to worry. It turns out that the long wait for his return was due to lack of information. The Titans have always been a sort of enigma to us, and it seems that the longer time passes, the more questions we have rather than answers. No one really knows where they come from, where they hide, how they fight, or even what they’re fighting for. No one.

But I don’t worry about that right now. I‘m just relieved to finally see my best friend, safe and alive, making me feel a little more at ease as I close my eyes to sleep in this new room, on a new bed, drifting off into darkness.

 

* * *

 

_My ears were ringing from the abrupt explosion behind me, strong reverberations ripping through the ground. I welcomed it, so long as I couldn’t hear the screams of the soldiers, of my friends, whose last sound I would hear would be their pained wails, unrecognizable to that of animals on the verge of death._

_The desperation laced in their voice, the stark red of blood spattering the ground to appear as some sort of perverse painting, the putrid smell of burning flesh… I couldn’t breathe…The motionless body of some unknown soldier laying peacefully in the midst of the chaos. The bile rose from deep within me until I was heaving onto the ground, my own feeble cries following afterwards as I shakily pushed myself up on my feet, making an effort to keep moving._

_I know what happens… I have to get to him… I can make it… I can… His body sat in the distance and my vision began to blur and darken as I got closer, knowing what I would see, what I have seen many times before. It wasn’t until I saw the raw, charred skin, bones made visible and cracked through the gaping hole in his body, until I saw the organs and intestines that remained spilling over, no… not until I saw the eye that remained on what was left of his face, ravaged beyond recognition, did I know. That brown iris, the same color of coffee beans and caramel, the same color of the horse he rode every day, the same color that gave me warmth and a home when I had none, only then did I know and my vision gave out before I hit the ground._

* * *

 

 

I only understood that it was night, my eyes unseeing as I opened them and it felt as if the darkness weighed heavily against my body as I struggled to breathe, to anchor myself to reality. There was a minute before a gasp of air rushed into my lungs, seeming to burn from the delusional fire that followed me from my sleep, forcing my body to shoot upwards and shove the sheets aside, desperate for air.

In that moment, I felt that familiar pain shoot through my body, shoving my fist into my mouth before I let it take control of me, a silent sob wracking my body. I hopelessly held onto my shirt, willing myself to stop, to forget, to do anything but feel the agony of repeating his death in my mind.

This torture would never stop. I should have known, but the last time I had to see that scene play out in my mind had been a year ago. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, yet it makes my pain grow stronger, and the fall that much harder. That phrase fails to tell you that they’re supposed to come back whole and alive, not broken and shattered in the pathetic remains of nightmares and hallucinations.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, too engrossed in counting my shallow breaths, the heartbeats rattling against my chest, until I stopped shaking and the ache in my heart dissipated enough to ignore. It was rather easy to do when you’ve spent years learning how to dry out your eyes before the tears even began to flow over, when you’ve spent enough time with your own broken pieces that you’ve already memorized where to put them back.

The moonlight gave a soft, bluish hue to my surroundings when my eyes adjusted and my attention was immediately pulled towards the large window that was left uncovered.

I was in the castle.

There was no battle, no fire or smoke… Just the moon, a large white orb glowing in dull light as it hung suspended in the black night. The longer I stared, the more grounded I felt, a calming sensation washing over me as I got to my feet, drifting over to sit by the cool glass pane.

I’ve stopped dreaming years ago.

The memories come and go, scattered and erratic. Sometimes they’re vivid, like now, sometimes they’re small, vague traces of a feeling that lingers even after I’ve awaken. Sometimes, they’re last for hours as I replay the scene multiple times in my mind, while others last for only a few seconds, his face flashing momentarily, a crude reminder to what I have to live the rest of my life with.

In between is just a black void, filling up the space between the nightmares. I close my eyes and then open them immediately afterwards, the sun having already risen. It continues until the next time I wake up, opening my eyes too abruptly, breathing too quickly, lost, confused, curling in on myself until I’m solid and whole once more, all while the soldiers next to me continued to sleep soundly.

I sighed, clouding the glass where I leaned my head against. Morning seemed far off to come.

Better kill some time.

I stood up to rummage through the chest at the foot of my bed, dressing myself in trousers and a thin shirt, despite the cold weather outside. I wanted to freeze, to feel the cold piercing my skin and wake me up, pulling me out of this suffocating heat. I wanted to ride my horse and feel the wind whipping against me, bolting through the track as fast as I could.

And maybe, with the darkness of the night draped over me, I could pretend for just a moment that he was riding alongside me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might have taken longer than I wished to write, but gladly I made it in time. Shoot me a comment with any questions or criticism on the chapter. You can also ask me on my tumblr: against-my-nature where I also posts on updates of this fic.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. First Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for posting this so late at night but I couldn't stop writing and so here we are.

I don’t know how long I rode.

The steady, continuous gallop that reverberated my entire body lulled me into a trance, only aware of my breaths synchronizing with Ulysses’, the brisk air burning my lungs and coming out in short, white puffs that flew quickly past my face. I couldn’t see and I didn’t care to, having already memorized the length of the track, timing my turns just right. I rode and that’s all that mattered, even when the sun had risen and the world around me materialized in a dull, yellow glow.

I was stuck in the moment, unable to remember when I started or how I will stop, only to continue blindly forward.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe – “Sir Kirschtein!” I pulled the reins sharply, forcing Ulysses to come to a sudden stop as I stared around me in surprise. There was a person at the edge of the track near the stables, waving an arm in my direction, repeatedly calling out my name. I was immediately aware of my hands gripping the reins too tightly, my body numb and cold, muscles aching, moisture clinging to my skin, it was all coming at me like a blast of air and it was all I could do to stop my body from shaking from the abrupt change.

“Come on, Ulysses. Let’s go see what she wants.” I said breathlessly, clicking my tongue as I kick gently against him to make him move forward towards the stables. There was fog that sat lightly on the field, making the person appear more like a small, blurred figure, their voice the only indication of their gender.

“Do you need me, madam?” I yelled out, still some distance away from her.

“The Second Prince wished me to tell you that you are free to meet him at the Eastern Library now.” Her tired, aged face came into view more clearly, and I could see that her hair was ruffled, and the edge of her maid uniform was dirtied from the mud she probably had to walk through to get here. I couldn’t help laugh a little.

“Must have gone through Hell to find me here.” I gave the maid an apologetic look, stopping Ulysses besides her.

She huffed, running her fingers through her dark gray hair, pulling some strands loose from her bun. “Quite. ‘Specially in this fog. Took me ages to find this godforsaken horse track in the middle of nowhere.” She waved her hand brashly in the direction I came from, shaking her head. “Thank the heavens His Highness knew you were out here, or I’d have lost my head running around the castle for some lost newbie!” Now that grabbed my attention.

“His Highness _knew_ I was out here?” I couldn’t help but look around my shoulder, seeing nothing but an empty field and a fog that made anything farther away impossible to see. I left in the dead of the night, how could he know I was out here?

A short chuckle brought my attention back towards the maid, a knowing look in her eye. “You don’t know much about The Second Prince, do you?”

“I’ve just met with him yesterday.” I said, shaking my head. I quickly dismounted from Ulysses, regretting the minute I hit the ground as my legs shook from the effort. The maid gave me a look as I sucked in a breath, holding onto the saddle for support. Jeez, exactly how long was I out on the field? “His Highness seemed a little strange, if you don’t mind me saying.” I said, attempting to veer her attention away from the pained expression on my face as I forced myself to take a couple of awkward steps. Too long, I was out there for too long.

“You can’t blame him. He lives in a different world from ours. But that head of his…” She tapped her temple twice, “Sharpest in the kingdom, I’ll tell you that. How did he know? Don’t ask, he simply does. Name’s Annabelle, by the way, and when you’ve been serving The Prince as long as I have, you start to know things too.”

She gave me a wink and started to make her way towards the castle, looming darkly in the fog, saying over her shoulder, “Any questions, you come to Ol’ Annabelle. But as of right now, His Highness awaits, my good sir.” She struggled to stay steady on the wet ground, holding her dress above her ankles.

“Wait!” I called out suddenly, making her turn in surprise, watching me curiously. “It’s a long walk and I just happen to have to fastest horse in the Royal Guard.” I beamed proudly as I patted Ulysses’ saddle.

She sighed, looking up at me in humor. “Yes, thank god I happened to find myself with the fastest horse and the fastest rider in all of Sina.” I quirked an eyebrow and before I could respond, she added, even more sarcastically, “Oh yes, I’ve heard many things about the infamous Jean Kirschtein, but I have yet to hear about giving charity to helpless, old ladies such as myself. What’s the price?”

I can understand her reluctance; I’ve formed quite a reputation during my time here. But in all honesty, there was something about her that made me feel at ease. Whether it was her old age or her dark, jovial eyes, I didn’t know. But I knew that she was truly kind, despite the sudden ‘no-nonsense’ tone she was currently directing at me.

“No price.” I said seriously. “I promise.” Annabelle came closer, squinting at me in intense scrutiny. It was awhile before there was a sudden glint in her eye and then her face relaxed, smiling softly, as if she understood something I could not. My body relaxed along with her, and I couldn’t help but give her a smile of my own. It was a strange feeling, to feel happy from such a small gesture.

She moved towards Ulysses, placing a foot on the stirrup to lift herself up. Before I could even react to help her up, she had already swung her leg onto the other side, an awkward action with her dress.

She grabbed onto the stirrups and gave me a smirk, “Thing is Sir Kirschtein, I’m no helpless old lady.” She gave a quick kick to Ulysses and he shot forward towards the castle. I stood frozen, not believing my eyes as my own horse was starting to disappear in the distance, faintly hearing Annabelle’s manic laughing echoing back.

It seemed like the entire castle was laughing along with her as I stared, yelling, “What?!” in her direction.

“ _I knew that she was truly kind..” Forget that shit, Jean, this woman is insane!_ I thought to myself as I ran after her pathetically, my legs already sore from last night.

I could have felt a lot of things in that moment. Anger, frustration, shock, hatred, all the things I usually do. But instead, I found myself laughing, at myself, at Annabelle, and I could not stop from laughing the entire way back to the castle.

Insane indeed.

* * *

 

I winced internally as I took a step into the Eastern Library, my muddied boots and clothes that stuck to my sweat-covered skin contrasting harshly to the pristine room I had entered, appearance unworthy of an audience with The Prince.

 _As if I give a rat’s ass,_ I thought, but I still couldn’t help treading carefully, closing the large door behind me softly before straightening my shirt as best as I could. When I turned around to an empty room though, all thoughts of decency were gone.

Two statues of stone angels stood on either side of me, arms extended as if to direct me into the center of the room, a book in their other arms. Their wings angled beautifully away from their bodies, forming a protective archway above my head. It had a surrealist affect, the angels appearing almost real if not for their gray surfaces. I moved past them and the archway to get a better look at my surroundings.

It was a fairly small, octagonal room; however the large ceilings that seemed to be a common theme in the castle made up for that. The bookcases that jutted out from each side of the room like enormous dominos rose up high to meet the ceilings, the only exception being the bookcases farthest away from me on the other end of the room, which only reach up two-thirds of the wall, the rest covered by a large window.

 

Morning light leaked gently onto the center of the room where there was an octagonal indent that went down around two feet into the ground, with a large circular table covered in books and papers, and surrounding chairs placed there. I descended one of the small steps that led into the indent, looking around me for the Prince. My eyes caught sight of one of the papers on the table, recognizing my own face staring back at me.

 _What the…?_ It was my military file I realized as I flipped through a couple of the attached pages, reading through my history of awards, medals, infractions, even my medical history was here. I started to look through the other piles of paper, not caring whether or not I was allowed to tamper with these documents. That’s when I saw Eren’s picture and his own military file.

“Hello Jean.” I jolted in shock and dropped a couple of pages onto the ground, my head snapping to my left of me. The Prince stood calmly above near one of the bookcases, staring down at me, every bit the same person as the day before. He didn’t appear angry or annoyed, he just seemed… interested, waiting patiently for my response.

Rather than greeting him as well or explaining why I was shamelessly searching through his papers, I blurted out, “Why do you have my military file?”

He walked down the steps towards me, picking up the papers I had dropped and setting them down neatly onto the table. His head was bare when he had knelt down, the gold circlet missing.

“Jean Kirschtein: recruited at the age of 12 to be trained as a soldier and assigned to the Royal Guard at the age of 15. At the age of 16, was ranked as number 4 out of the entire Royal Guard after Mikasa Ackerman, Leonhardt, and Eren Jaeger. Known for his quick reflexes in hand-to-hand combat, and his ability to successfully maneuver horse-riding at record speeds, he exhibits impressive skill as a soldier. If I had to describe Jean in one word, I would call him a leader. Is that correct?” He looked up at me as if that had answered my question, but I was left confused, reciting his words over in my head.

“I doubt Captain Levi would ever call me a leader.” I said.

“He didn’t.” The Prince began shuffling through my file, until he came across what he was searching for. “A soldier by the name of Marco Bodt did.” That familiar stab of pain came once again, but I held my gaze towards him steady, even when The Prince asked, “Do you know him?”

_“Your orders were right. That’s why I was able to move and survive until now.”_

But you didn’t…

_“I told you, didn’t I? You’re suited to be a leader.”_

You were wrong…

“I did.” I choked out, my use of the past tense was not lost on him as his eyes widen slightly before he looked away, whispering, “I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t breathe.

 “Why do you have my military file?” I repeated once more, my voice coming out a bit more harshly, a bit more strained than I had intended. He turned back towards the papers on the table, sighing.

“To learn about you,” He spoke calmly, how could he be so calm? “About your abilities and your past, your-“

“Then why didn’t you just ask me?!” I shouted at him. I immediately wished I hadn’t; I wasn’t angry towards him. I wasn’t angry towards anyone, I just simply was. The Prince’s face didn’t change however, he just watched me carefully like he always does, waiting for me to calm down.

“Denied entry into Scouting Legion due to psychological trauma,” He continued. “Did that have something to do with Marco?”

“Armin.” That caught his attention. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to ask such personal questions to people you’ve just met?” I was staring hard at the Prince, willing him to respond with a straight answer, not with another arbitrary description about me.

He smiled and shot back, “Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to yell at a member of the royal family?”

I’m going to jail.

I sat down at one of the chairs near me and covered my face with my hands, groaning, “I did that, didn’t I?” He laughed the same laugh from yesterday. It’s the kind of laugh that comes unexpectedly, that has you throwing your head back and gripping your stomach tightly, the kind that has me questioning the sanity of the Prince, Annabelle, pretty much every single castle dweller I have ever come across.

I should have never step foot inside this place.

“That’s why my father chose you.” I looked at him questioningly through my fingers as he pulled out another chair for him to sit, placing it right in front of me.

“Despite your trauma, you have immense talent and can obviously carry out your duty as a bodyguard perfectly. But what convinced my father to assign specifically you to me was your lack of respect for authority.” He spoke earnestly, as if the logic behind it had made perfect sense.

My god, the King was insane as well. We’re all going to go down in flames.

“I apologize, Your Highness, but that sounds like the stupidest reason I’ve ever heard.” My hands had fallen into my lap and I was now looking at the Prince with what I can only guess was an unbelievable expression. The smile never left his face.

“It is, but he feels that I need an attitude change, and you’re the best solution for it. He can’t have someone cater to my every wish and desire because I’m the prince.” He started gathering up some the papers on the table, piling them up neatly.

“He wants me to _nanny_ you?”I lifted an eyebrow at him and he responded with a shrug, passing me the pile of papers. I looked at them and saw my own face staring back at me.

“He probably considers that as a convenient, indirect side effect. And keep the papers. I didn’t realize having someone else read it would bother you.” As I stared at my picture, a younger version of myself with a smug look outlining my feature, my hands gripping the pages tightly, he pulled out another piece of paper and held it out for me.

“This is the schedule for each and every one of my lessons and meetings. You are allowed into council meetings, but unfortunately, you are forbidden to enter certain Royal meetings that require my presence. Your duty ends at supper time and begins at the crack of dawn.” I took the paper from his hand and stared down at the neat cursive writing that covered the entirety of it.

There was a council meeting at the beginning of every month and a royal meeting the day afterwards. The rest of the schedule was covered in lessons, ranging from history, to mathematics, writing, war strategy, anthropology, geography, astrology, violin, what did the Prince not do? The list kept going and it was all starting to blur with one another until I saw “sword-fighting”.

I guess I could serve some purpose for the Prince after all besides just being a ‘nanny’. Horse-riding, fitness training, even hand-to-hand combat was included. They were rare, but enough for me to get excited. This is what I know, what I’m comfortable with.

“Prince Armin, I…” When I lifted my head, I was alone once again, staring at an empty chair. Frowning, I stood up and called out, “Your Highness?”

“Armin.” His voice came from my left, where he had first appeared. His head appeared momentarily, blond hair falling onto his face as it tilted slightly, giving me a smirk, before disappearing completely into the depths of the enormous bookcases. I rolled my eyes.

I stood up, carrying the papers he had given me and made my way between the bookcases he withdrew into. He was standing with a book open in his hand, head bent over the pages, the bookcases blocking out any natural sunlight that came from the window, allowing him to be shrouded in shadow. There was a stack of books next to him, and he quickly added the book he had previously been reading to the stack before searching for another one.

Without looking at me, he said, “In the schedule, there are a few empty spots. You can expect to find me here at those times.” He opened one of the books he pulled out and quickly looked over it, adding it to the growing stack of books when he finished. “You are free to leave for the rest of the day.” Pick, read, and place another book onto the stack.

“I’m glad to be working for you.” I said it out of nowhere, but felt it needed to be said. It was my unspoken apology for having yelled at him.

He paused to look at me and said in the most serious tone, “Working for who?”

“You.” I said, furrowing my eyebrows. I was pretty sure I specified that.

“Who?” The edge of his mouth quirked slightly, and I scoffed out loud. He’s not going to stop, is he?

“For Armin, the great Son of Sina. O’powerful Prince who is our enlightenment, our savior!” I said in mock praise and he winced, shaking his head, as if regretting messing with me.

“But in all seriousness,” I said, waiting for him to look back up at me, “the questions, the prying, you have to learn how to treat people correctly. Even if you are a Prince.” He didn’t respond at first, just stared right back at me before turning to slowly pick out a book from the shelves.

“That’s why you’re here.”

* * *

 

I had given him back my military file. It didn’t seem to matter if it was the Prince who was reading it and it matter even less when he had already read and memorized the entire thing.

Yep, he memorizes everything he reads. It seems the more time I spend with him, the more I find it harder to figure him out. I expected, since I was his new nanny and he was in need of an attitude check, for him to be more narcissistic, more entitled, to push his princely status onto me.

It was quite the opposite.

Armin, the Second Prince of Sina, was anything but a Prince. I found myself referring more to his title rather than his name to remind _him_ of the fact, not me. He continued questioning me during my stay with him; I found the Eastern Library very interesting to parade around in. When I corrected him when he was too brash, the Prince apologized as if he had thoroughly offended me.

He smiled and smiled often, especially when I called him by “Armin”, and he never called me as “Sir” or “Sir Kirschtein” but as Jean. There were moments of silence as well, when he would focus all of his attention to a particular book, sitting down at whichever location he was at the time, table, chair, floor, it didn’t seem to matter to him. It was during these times I busied myself with searching an interesting book of my own and sit down to read.

I couldn’t help look every once in a while at the Prince when he was fixated on a book, who had the habit of mouthing the words he read softly. You can tell when he read something that pleased him. He smiled so slightly that you could barely see it, but if you watched his eyes, the change in them was magnificent. The blue became very bright, as if there was a light source behind those eyes of his, shining in such a beautiful way.

Armin, in that moment, looked like a young boy that lived inside these books, like little paradises for him, and the library, his sanctuary. I have learned at least that much in one day and although I was still confused by him, I was content knowing this side of him. It seemed personal, but then that had made us equal.

I knew about the library.

He knew about Marco.

End of discussion.

Learning about more about Armin had whirled in my mind while I was getting supper, and while I sat to eat, so much so, that I didn’t realize when a familiar figure sat down next to me.

“I apologize for the horse, but getting to see the look on your face was worth it.” Annabelle gave me a toothy grin and laughed when I stared at her first in shock, and then quickly squinted at her in annoyance.

“I ran all the way from the stables to the castle, do you know how far away that is? AND after riding a horse for the entire night. I was nice enough to offer you a ride and that’s how you thank me? I trusted you.” My exasperation was more of an act, I couldn’t stay angry at this old lady who kept looking at me as if I was a child, complaining about not eating the last cookie.

“Nobody told you to do that.” She said, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly, placing her attention towards eating. “How was your meeting with the Prince?” She stole a quick glance in my direction.

“I’m… not quite sure. It ended pleasantly; more pleasant than I thought it would but…” I furrowed my eyebrows in thought. “Does the Prince always lack tact when speaking with others.”

Rather than being displeased, she smiled warmly. “Yes, he does. But of course you saw how much he reads, correct?” I nodded quickly in response, encouraging her to continue.

“Well, that’s all he really does. He reads, and that’s how he learns about the world, through those books rather than his own experiences. Make you understand why he lacks tact; he’s not used to socializing, being amongst others.” She swallowed a spoonful of soup, staring ahead at nothing when she spoke again. “Books, and his family are the only things he’s spoken to. And the workers in the castles but you can only imagine how they treat him in his presence.” I thought through what she said, and it started making more sense.

His reaction to seeing Connie’s face in surprise, the same reaction when I had covered my face in my hands, it seemed strange unless you considered the fact that the only faces he must had seen before were stoic and serious, treating him exactly as he was: A Prince. Perhaps a few kind faces here and there, from his family as well, but nonetheless a rare occasion. To see Connie and I, with raw emotion of shock, embarrassment, and frustration, rather than that mask he must often see was probably a pleasant experience for him.

“The Prince was better when he was younger, when he had that Eren boy and Mikasa.” I dropped my spoon and stared at Annabelle, who kept eating as if nothing had happened.

“Eren and Mikasa?” What did they have to do with the Prince?

“Yes, his childhood friends before they left to train in the military. He still sees them once in a while, but not enough if you ask me.” She looked at me from the corner of her eye. “Why? Do you know those two?”

“Uh… yes. But I never knew they were friends with the Prince.” I said. In fact, I don’t think Eren had ever talked about Armin to me before.

“They’re very protective of him; I can see why they’re wary to let anyone else close to him.” She chuckled, pointing a finger towards me. “I would be very careful if I were you.”

“Why didn’t they just assign Eren to the Prince then?” I was just an overall bad choice for a bodyguard with my records, my nightmares, my bad behavior, everything about me did not match up as a protective caretaker. “Better than having the infamous Jean Kirschtein be the bodyguard.” I added, using Annabelle’s own words about me.

“I don’t know, but…” She took a look towards me, a familiar feeling settling deep within me from her expression. “You’re probably exactly what he needs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually fun to write and I hope it was just as fun to read.  
> When I was figuring out how the library should look in the story, I was listening to Rosemary's Song on piano from the movie The Giver. Such a beautiful song, and now I can't stop associating it with Armin and his library. Hopefully I can draw how the library looks like in my head and post it on tumblr for you guys.  
> Tell me what you thought about this chapter, don't be afraid to drop a comment or question here or at my tumblr: against-my-nature.tumblr.com/


	4. One month later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to formally apologize for taking such a long time updating this fic. There were some complications and over time, the fic was pushed to the back of my mind. I actually didn't know there were people waiting for the update, I didn't think people enjoyed reading it. So I'm very sorry for taking so long, I'll take great care to avoid something like this in the future. You may expect the longest updates to take around 2 weeks. If there's any issues where I might have to postpone a chapter for any reason, I'll make sure to mention it in the end notes.
> 
> For those of you who get queasy around blood, there is a brief mention of blood in a flashback in this chapter, just to make sure that you are prepared for that.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Come on. Lift, boy!”

I glared at Annabelle as I heaved a short wood log over my shoulder with one arm, the other already gripping a log against my side. She smirked, her eyes twinkling in a way that told me she was holding back a laugh. “No sarcastic comment this time?”

I gritted my teeth together and growled out, “As if I could. Not with all of this work you’ve given me, I can barely breathe…” I gave out a huff and started carrying the thick logs towards the castle that partially showed from behind a small hill (Oh god, I have to climb that…), sweat lingering against my skin despite the cold weather. Annabelle followed alongside me, carrying a log of her own with ease, not a single bead of sweat showing on her face. Her strength was inhuman; her head barely reached my chin and if I had to guess, she must have been at least 60, I’m sure of it.

I took a quick glance in her direction, eyeing her wrinkles and the gray strands of hair woven among her darker, black ones.

Yea I’m sure.                          

We walked a little in silence, the sun starting to peak out from the horizon behind us. It was still dark however and with the thick fog, we could barely make out the gray smudge that was the top of the castle. At least it wasn’t pitch black like when we were first out here, chopping up trees for firewood at some goddamn awful hour.

And by we, I mean me.

_“A young strapping boy such as yourself should have no problem in helping an old woman like me.”_

_Giving me the old guilt trip, how obvious can you get?_

_“Everyone’s busy with preparing for the Winter Ball and your bodyguard duties don’t start till sunrise.”_

_There’s that dumb grin she always gives me, I know you’re trying to play me like a fiddle._

And yet here I am, being played like a fiddle. It’s been almost a month since I first met Annabelle and she’s already whipped me up to be her own personal lackey.

“Mmm, wait, I’ve got you a sarcastic comment.” I said, interrupting the calm silence between us and drawing her attention towards me. “I will do anything for you, sweet, sweet Annabelle,” My voice was dripping with sarcasm, true to my statement, I made sure of that, “So long as you don’t hurt yourself sitting on that lazy ass of yours all day.”

Her laugh was more like a bark, quick and dry, and I knew she was going to shoot back something just as sarcastic.

“Ha! Good one. On my ‘lazy ass’, quite true. So true in fact…” She moved closer to me and I didn’t realize what she was doing until the very last second, when she heaved her log with a grunt onto my shoulder, right on top of the one that was already there. The weight pressed heavily against my head and I had to rush to grab both of the logs before they fell, almost falling myself with the sudden shift.

Annabelle stood in front of me, watching me struggle until I stood firm and steady once again, scowling at her. “What the he-“ She held up a finger to shut me up and proceeded to sit down onto the ground.

“And now I am sitting on my lazy ass.” I groaned loudly, my arms shaking from the weight.

“Can you please just let it - let it slide this time and not - oww - kill me for once?” The logs pressed even more against my shoulder, making me wince. “The day’s barely even started and I’m sure… I’m sure Armin would really appreciate it as well.” I offered a pained smile as a peace offering as she stood back up and looked at the sky in pondering. It was obviously a joke, she already had her mind made up, but the cruel woman even held her chin and furrowed her eyebrows, taking as long as she possibly can to think about god-knows-what while I stand here like some idiot, my face turning into these awful shades of red with the strain.

“No.” It was quick and there was a gleam in her eye before she turned and made her way to the castle without looking back, fully expecting me to keep up. “How can you expect me, Sir Kirschtein, to lift those logs with this lazy bum of mine?”

I really should have dropped the logs and left. Screw her. I could have pleaded, or at least bargained with her. I could have been Jean Kirschtein, the smartass with an attitude problem. Yelled at her, started something, anything. But it was like when she ran off with my horse, cackling her way towards the horizon as I watched on in disbelief. It didn’t make me angry; it just made me laugh, like her and I were in on some secret joke.

So with a smirk, I just started walking, as fast as I could with the added weight until I reached Annabelle and matched her step by step, saying in a serious tone very unlike me, “Same way I do, I guess.”

She didn’t seem surprised, just smiled and said, “Now that’s the Jean I’ve heard about.” Suddenly there was a weight lifted off of me and Annabelle placed a log on her shoulder.

“From who, Armin?” I changed my grip I had on my own log, trying to roll my shoulders as best as I could. Something cracked and I felt a much needed relief.

“No.” I looked over just in time to see her face empty of a smile, of that teasing grin she always had, only eyes downcast and lips pressed into a firm line, before lifting her head and picking up the pace.

“Let’s see if you can outrun this lazy ass of mine!” With one arm gripping the log tightly against her and the bottom of her dress wrapped around the other, she shot forward.

“Ha! You’ve messed with the wrong person, Annabelle!” I don’t quite know what the secret joke actually is, but it seemed like the best one I ever heard as I ran at top speed after her, throwing my head to laugh in pure joy.

 

* * *

 

“Jean, catch!” I only had a second to react to the book flying at my face when I stepped into the Library, deftly catching it with my right hand while Armin continued to talk from his perch on one of the bookcase ladders.

“-jumping to his death, I swear the things people will do for love. But I guess the funniest part is that not even 5 pages later, she ends up with another man. Terrible, quite terrible, we might as well burn it. I simply have no patience for the tribulations of passion, it gets you nowhere-“ He kept talking without a single pause, leaning against the ladder several feet above me, his fingers unconsciously ghosting over the spines of books near him. It was a habit of his; he rarely passed a book without lingering over the covers, feeling the pages as if he could read through touch.

‘Remembering the story’ he had said. He had every single book memorized, not only their words but the shape, feel, and smell as well, and with one touch, he revisited the exact memory of reading the book in its entirety.

My attempts at challenging this ability of his and his claim of having already read and memorized every book in stock had me searching through the most secluded spots of the library, the ones that seemed less cared for and forgotten, and shoving whatever archaic book I could find at one blind-folded Armin.

As a result, he had named each book within 3 seconds of it coming into his grasp. And when that had tired us, began reciting every single page from memory. Telling him to start at a specific page didn’t throw him off either, and at that point he had no difficulty in even telling me which pages held stains over which words, exactly which corners were ripped and yellowed with age.

He had every single speck of dust, every single crease mapped out in his mind, the entire architecture of the library and every moment he spent there committed to memory in that blonde head of his.

Overall, we have spent our days together not as prince and bodyguard, but rather like a pair of kids, with the library as our playground. I never found books so interested until I met Armin, who made it seem like we were traveling the world in each page. In return, I tell him about my own travels and experiences (with a few exaggerations of course, I had to give the kid some excitement).

The days of lessons were tamer; the presence of another person keeping us retrained. At least for a while. It seems my task as a nanny has taken a different course. And for good reason; so far I’ve seen nothing to presume the prince was in need of an attitude check. Just a friend.

I looked down at the book he tossed at me, the one I assume he was chattering about so intently.

_‘Dire Repercussions’_

Huh. Not quite familiar with that one. The cover was plain; a dark-grey with simple red lettering. None of the typical gold and cursive that decorated the large, over-the-top covers, some of them gleaming brilliant in the sunlight.

“-and of course, Jean is the most clueless soldier I’ve ever met… doesn’t even know I’ve been talking about him this entire time.” I realized he was still speaking when I heard my name and looked up to see him staring down at me, his hair falling from behind his ears as he smiled a teasing grin.

“You weren’t listening again, were you?” he asked. I gave him a sheepish smile back.

“Something about burning relations of passion?” Armin sighed, blowing some of his hair out of his face and climbed down the ladder until he was at eye level with me, getting his face as close as he could to mine.

“Tribulations, Jean. And I have very little patience.” His tone was stern but the twitch of his face gave him away and he was soon chuckling, quickly pulling me towards the lowered center of the library where most of the sunlight gathered to, the rest dimly illuminating the edges of the room. Everything was clearer here, and despite Armin’s excitable disposition, despite that smile he keeps flashing at me more than usual, I could see the darkness underneath his eyes.

He hasn’t been sleeping.

And he’s trying to hide it.

I had barely any time to process his movements before he’s pushed me into a seat and pulled the book out of my hand, tossing it onto the table that was hidden underneath a massive array of pages, notes, and books. I was thankful, my legs were close to giving out after the stunt Annabelle pulled on me.

“You’re late and I’ve been waiting this entire time to tell you how the story ends.” He gathered some books onto his lap before sitting down in front of me, opening the first one to the cover page.

“Which story? The one with the pirates?” I asked, watching him carefully. Armin was definitely pale today, and the hands that flipped from page to page shook slightly.

“That, you have to find out for yourself. I’m talking about the purple book with a yellow band 5 centimeters from the top, around 1 centimeter thick, the binding’s a little damaged, and there’s a-“

“The name, Armin. Average person over here.” I waved for good measure, drawing his attention towards me before he started to prattle for a good length of time. I had made a joke, so I didn’t expect him to look at me confused with eyebrows furrowed as if I had spoken in another language.

“Why are you so dirty?” Ah. I guess his eyes finally caught up with his mouth, scanning me over the book in curiosity.” I stared down at my clothes, having been totally unaware until now of my own appearance. My shoes were covered in mud, there was dirt all over my arms, and I could only guess of the state my hair was in. I laughed and dusted myself off as best as I could, which frankly did very little.

“Annabelle.” I said simply. He snickered, muttering ‘again?’ underneath his breath.

“What did she do to you this time?” I crossed my arms over my chest and rolled my eyes, catching a glance at the royal seal on some of the papers at the table. Official work. No wonder he seemed so tired. And by the amount, it seems he’s been putting it off for a while.

“Slave work. Chopping some wood for her, letting her emotionally and physically abuse me, then we raced and she made me carry the-”

“Wait wait wait…” He interrupted, and I pulled my gaze from the stack of papers to see Armin looking at me in disbelief. “ _You_ raced a 70 year old woman?”

“Well technically _she_ raced me.” Armin still looked disappointed and I suddenly felt the need to justify myself. “Come on Armin, it was a race! You know I couldn’t back out at finally proving to that woman! Besides, that woman’s a beast; I wouldn’t be surprised if she was into some of that black voodoo magic to give her that ungodly strength.”

He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest and scoffing with one eyebrow raised. Well, that was new. It seems the young prince has already picked up some of my own habits. Nonetheless, I could still feel the judgment being directed at me.

“Did you at least win?” He asked. I curled into myself and averted my gaze away from his, staring at my boot hitting the table leg softly.

“No.” I said finally. There was silence, followed by Armin throwing his head back and laughing. Hard.

“Hey, I was carrying _two whole_ logs! And she had a headstart!” He started laughing even harder, his entire face filled with absolute joy and pain while he clutched at his stomach. I simply sat in frustration, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

That didn’t do any good, making Armin laugh even more when he caught sight of me. The entire library echoed with his voice, a pitch higher than mine, but still soft despite the fact that he was practically on the ground from absolute enjoyment.

I wasn’t sure if he was laughing at the outcome of the race, or of my own expressions, or even due to a mixture of both, but I was quick to learn during these weeks with him to simply enjoy it as well. This Armin, free and unadulterated, was rare and I only ever saw him in this library. Outside, he was kind, polite, controlled, and quite boring if you ask me.

I don’t know what I did to make him trust me, but I’m glad I did it. Because right now, as he picks up the books he dropped in his laughter, still chuckling as if to himself and looking over at me with a smile, he didn’t look as tired anymore.

“Ahh, I apologize Jean. I just… You lost to a 70 year old woman. It seems that you share only the looks of a horse, not its speed.” I stared at him while he shot me a smirk. Okay, I was going to have to control myself if he’s just going to mimic my own expressions back at me.

“ _It seems_ you’ve been around Jaeger too much.” I muttered, recognizing the horse reference.

“Of course. He’s my best friend. And despite your disposition towards any subject that has to do with him, he’s your friend as well.” He began rolling a ring of his around his fingers, catching the glint of the sunlight ever so often.

“How do you figure?” I wasn’t going to deny it; even if Eren and I had a habit of bickering, he was still the only person that’s stuck around with me, and I with him. But I definitely did not make those feeling public.

“I first saw it in Eren.” He began, staring off in the way he does when he’s thinking. “He often talks about you as ‘Kirschtein’ but addresses you as Jean directly. You do the same. I’ve never heard you call him Eren unless it was directed towards him.” Armin shook his head as if we were the strangest people he’s ever met.

He kept going, “We haven’t had much of a chance to talk about Eren, but I’ve known him for a long time and he’s talk plenty about you.” That caught my attention.

“Most of the time he’s joking, but he admires you Jean. He admires your skill as a soldier and he trusts you.” The atmosphere had suddenly turned serious, and the library became silent. He stood up and walked towards the table to look at some papers there, but I knew he was focused on something else, his hand never leaving the ring on his finger. If I had to guess, perhaps Armin’s trust towards me came from Eren. I’ve only known him for a month, but apparently he’s known me for longer than that.

“Something happened to him while he was training for the military. Am I right Jean?”

He was looking at me intently now, the knuckles of his fingers turning white. It seems he only needed to see my expression to know what the answer was.

Armin spoke, his voice becoming almost a whisper, “He’s never opened up to me enough about it. But you were there, weren’t you?”

_There was blood everywhere, too much of it on him, the crimson stains making him stand out from the dirt around him. He was frozen, staring at the person he held tightly in his arms, unaware of the chaos around him._

I nodded, leaning forward in my seat. “You didn’t see the…?” I trailed off, seeing the confusion of his face as he turned towards me.

“The what?” His voice seemed desperate, and I could only imagine what it would be like knowing something was wrong with your friend for years but never knowing what it was.

“It’s not my place to say. It’s something for Eren to tell you himself.” His jaw tightened and his mouth formed into a tight line. He’s smart enough to know what I said was right, but it still frustrated him.

“Armin.” I stood up and placed my hand on his shoulder, squeezing softly. “Just… when you get the chance, ask Eren why Mikasa wears that red scarf so much.” Before he could ask why, the door to the library burst open, shocking both Armin and I from the conversation.”

“Paws off of Armin, Jean, or I’ll feed you to the Titans myself.”

Ah, speak of the Devil.

 

* * *

 

It was fairly desolate in the castle halls as the three of us walked, the only noise coming from our mismatched steps that echoed through the high ceilings. It was something to get used to, this far into the castle. The quiet was a sharp contrast to the hollers and shouts of soldiers you could hear yards away, the liveliness of the barracks cramped with people you’ve known since the age of 12.

It was a feeling I came to miss inside these walls, each echo resonating through me, each echo reminding me of the solitude, of how quiet it was whenever I slept in a bed far too large for me in a far too spacious room. The amenities were pleasurable at first, but over time have lost their attraction. Late night visits to the stables became more common for me, the rushing wind filling up the silence in my head. Even the soft words between Armin and Eren walking ahead of me were almost silent, drowned out by the enormity of the castle.

“I’m presenting the soldiers I wish to be assigned as additional bodyguards for your sister during her trip.” Eren spoke directly to Armin, but also glanced back towards me to include me in the conversation. I merely stared ahead, seeming uninterested, but listening in anyway. The meeting held very little effect on Armin and I; we were attending only at the request of Princess Historia.

“Mikasa.” Armin stated, no question of doubt in his voice. Eren smiled, shrugging his shoulders.

“She wouldn’t let me go without her.” He said, laughing slightly to himself.

“Just how she never lets go of her scarf.” Armin said it jokingly, but I still couldn’t help but wince.

_Not here Armin. Not now, it’s not right._

Armin was smiling, but I could see how hard his gaze was towards Eren, who furrowed his eyebrows as his laugh faltered.

“Uh yea, I guess. I gave it to her so it’s special.” Eren shot a glance at Armin, giving him a strange look.

_He knows you too well, he can see something’s wrong._ Eren wasn’t one to be aware of everything, not like Armin, so I wouldn’t put it past him to completely ignore the comment. But he’s not dumb and it didn’t matter how well Armin masked it, how much he smiled and joke, Eren can see it.

“And Ymir.” I was the one that spoke this time, in an attempt to veer to conversation to a different topic, making the both of them turn their heads to look at me. Armin simply looked at me as if waiting for an explanation, while Eren’s eyes widen in surprise.

“How did you know?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. Eren wasn’t the only one that knew someone well enough to know how they think.

“We’ve spent years together, side by side, so you’re used to traveling with a fast rider. Since I’m here with Armin, you’d get the next best thing.” He smiled, seeming to approve what I said. But then he moved closer to me and gave a light punch to my arm.

“If I had wanted someone like you, I would have brought a horse.”

_Are you kidding me?_ I pushed back, rolling my eyes. Armin was walking slightly ahead by himself now, so I couldn’t see his face, but I could still see the way his shoulders moved in quiet laughter.

“How many years do you have to know me before you get tired of these jokes?” Frankly, almost everyone was tired of it but Eren never seemed to lose his arsenal.

“I don’t know,” He said, his face almost emotionless if it wasn’t for the slight tilt of his mouth. I know that smile, he’s going to make another joke. “How long does a horse live?”

“25 to 30 years, typically.” The voice came from ahead of us and Armin kept walking, as if it was normal to have that kind of information off the top of his head.

“We were being sarcas-,” Eren placed a hand in front of me and when I looked, he was shaking his head.

“Let him, he doesn’t understand.” I looked back at Armin in time to see him turn off into a hall that, after a month of living here, I now know led to the Grand Room, where Eren and I had first met with the King. We quickly followed suit and was greeted by the high peaks of the Northern Mountains, or better known as The Wall of Sina.

Yea, the loneliness was hard and the silence could drive me insane some days, but if there was one thing I loved about the castle, it was the view.

Every window in the castle took the high ceilings to their advantage, including the ones in the hall which opened up high and wide to the world outside on both sides. Armin, unaffected, kept the same pace towards the large double doors at the end. Eren and I however, began to slow down, taking in the view once again.

“I’ve been here many times more than you have, but it still takes my breath away.” Eren’s voice came from my left but I was too enamored with staring to pay any attention. The mountains were like a wall, befitting of their nickname, and from here, you can see how they curved to form a sort of half circle around the castle. Normally, with how thick the fog in Sina is, it was difficult to see the mountains on the ground.

This high up, however, it was different, with the way they glowed with sunlight, white peaks of snow appearing to pierce into low clouds in the sky. It was like it had some sort of formidable strength and it eased my mind to know that this is what stopped the Titans from attacking the castle.

This high up, it was better.

I felt a slight push from behind, so slight that it didn’t even move my feet forward a single inch. But because I was looking out at the mountains, it had felt as if I had stepped forward into open space and immediately jumped away, practically falling backwards.

“What the hell Eren?!” When I looked, I saw Armin covering his mouth with his hand, clearly holding back his laughter and Eren on the other side, quickly turning when I yelled out his name.

“What?” Eren looked between the two of us, unaware of the situation.

“Armin, why did you-,” He shut me up with a pull of my arm, leading me towards the end of the hall.

“Really now, Jean, Eren, we don’t have time to idle and drool at inanimate objects. The mountains will be there when you come back, don’t worry.” He kept pulling me with a strength I never knew he had and I could hear Eren muttering once again behind us, “When did they get so close?”

When we reached the large double doors, the two guards stationed there immediately opened them, revealing Ymir and Mikasa standing at attention in the center of the room. The King was sitting at the throne like before, however was engaged in a conversation with Armin sitting in a decorated chair next to him.

_Holy shit, that’s not Armin_.

I haven’t had the chance to meet Princess Historia during my time in the castle, so it came as quite a shock when my eyes fell onto what look like Armin in a dress. I felt the hand at my arm let go and heard a “Follow me.”

Slowly, I drew my attention to Armin, the _real_ Armin, who looked back when I didn’t follow immediately, mouthing “What?” at me.

_Holy shit, Armin would look good in a dress._

I shook my head and caught up to Armin, trying to hide the slight blush on my cheeks when I realized what I was thinking.

“Nothing, I’m fine.” I quickly uttered, following him as he went to sit next to fake Armin in a dress, who had turned to greet Armin.

_Blonde hair, blue eyes, they look practically identical_ , I thought as I stood behind Armin’s chair, glancing at the Princess every now and then. At this distance however, I could see that there were subtle differences in their appearances.

Armin was taller with shorter hair than Historia, whose long hair framed her smaller face. Where Armin had poise and regality, Historia had beauty; where he had sharp intelligence in his blue eyes, she had love and kindness. At a glance however, it was easy to confuse one with the other despite the flowing lilac dress that billowed outward from her feet.

Armin leaned closer to Historia to kiss her cheek, who in return hugged Armin tightly.

“Thank you for coming Armin, I’m so nervous for the trip and you know I need your advice.” Her voice was higher and yet still calming, the same way that Armin’s is.

“Of course Christa.” Christa? She was still smiling so I assume it was a pet name of sorts. “Where’s Reiner and Annie?”

At that Historia rolled her eyes. “Sparring.” she said, which caused Armin to scoff.

“Of course.” They continued talking lightly to each other about the ridiculousness of Reiner’s pride, the princess unconsciously resting her hand on top of her brother’s, showing her affection for him. I tuned out most of it, watching the princess carefully to get the idea of Armin out of my head when looking at her, until she interrupted him.

“Are you okay Armin? You seem tired…” I wasn’t the only one that noticed either. He sighed, pulling his hand away.

“You don’t need to worry about that.” When the princess frowned, he held out his pinky and said, “Promise.” Historia interlaced her pinky with his, repeating in a firm tone of voice, “Promise.”

I couldn’t stop the chuckle when I saw what was more or less of a juvenile action. They reminded me of a more relaxed version of Eren and Mikasa, who along with Ymir were standing at the center of the room.

I frowned.

Ymir seemed odd when I looked at her, as if her face had been set aflame, eyes wide open as she stared at something ahead of her. When I followed her line of sight, it fell back onto the Princess.

_Oh god, Ymir is going to be executed._ With her reputation with the ladies, she wouldn’t last a week.

“Hot damn.” Ymir spoke loudly enough for everyone to cease what they were doing to look straight at her. Realizing what she had done, her eyebrows shot upwards and she immediately blushed a brighter red, muttering something under her breath that I couldn’t hear but interpreted as “Fuck” from the look at her face.

There was a laugh, almost like wind chimes and we all turned to look at Historia, giggling at Ymir. The other, surprised at the reaction, soon recovered and gave a cocky smile. I had to hold back a groan.

_Please don’t encourage her if you know what’s good for you._

“Right…” Eren stepped forward, side-glancing at Ymir who was now giving what I can only describe as bed-room eyes towards the princess. “Anyway… Your Majesty, I come before you to present two of the finest soldiers in the Royal Guard that I believe would best serve to protect Princess Historia.

“Mikasa Ackerman.” He continued, moving to gestured towards his sister, who bowed before the King. “Ranked number 1 in the Royal Guard and shows excellence across all skills required of a soldier, overall the greatest fighter in your Kingdom, only rivaled by that of Lieutenant Leonhardt.” Eren spoke passionately for his sister who stared at the ground blankly with her head bowed, apparently unaffected by the praise.

“Yes, I’ve heard much of Mikasa from Annie.” Mikasa lifted her head at that and the King smiled when she met his gaze. “Reminds me of someone I know very well. Extremely skillful and very loyal, I might have to put you up against him sometime. I hope you will serve the Kingdom well like him.” King Erwin then turned to Historia who nodded her head in approval.

“I would also like to include Ymir, who holds one of the top speeds on horseback and will serve to keep the pace of the trip in order to minimize a chance of attack. In addition, she ranks top five in brute strength.” Ymir pulled her attention from Historia to kneel to the King when she heard her name.

“Ymir, you sound like a strong soldier.” The King waited for her to stand at attention once again to continued, “Will you use that strength to protect Historia at all costs?”

Ymir looked directly at the Princess when she spoke.

“Hell yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I believe this was my longest chapter so far (I was actually surprised). I haven't been writing for a while so it might have been rough but if you have any criticism, I would love to hear it. (Don't worry, I have thick skin :D)

**Author's Note:**

> Remember, if you have any questions or comments, shoot me a comment and I'll respond as quickly as I can. The next chapter is predicted to be finished in 1-2 weeks. I also plan for the rest of the work to be written in Jean's perspective. Thank you for reading!


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